Correlation between geotechnical and acoustic properties of marine sediments, outer Placentia Bay, Newfoundland

Abstract

Marine sediment samples collected by a Benthos piston corer and a Van Veen grab sampler from the floor of outer Placentia Bay have been subjected to a wide range of acoustic and geotechnical measurements. The parameters determined were subjected to a correlation analysis as part of a comprehensive study to determine relationships between geotechnical properties and the parameters measured by various investigation techniques. The regional and surficial geology of the Placentia Bay area is briefly reviewed. -- Measurements of sound velocity on eight sediment core samples and related values of acoustic impedance are reported. Consolidation and shear strength data, as well as determinations of the index properties and particle size characteristics of the sampled sediments are presented. The output from impact cone penetrometer tests in the seabed near the core locations has been evaluated in light of the measured geotechnical properties. An expression to relate the dynamic resistance of the impact cone penetrometer to quasi-static cone resistance is postulated. -- Both linear and non-linear regression analysis, using digital computation, have been used to establish relationships between various parameters and the degree of correlation in each case. The analysis has, for the sediment data evaluated, identified relationships between a) various geotechnical properties, b) acoustic and geotechnical properties and c) cone parameters and acoustic and geotechnical properties. In addition, a number of elastic constants of the sediments have been determined.